Is the good life possible?
Based on the social media filling our feeds, hawking miracle cures, muscle-enhancing supplements, perfect workouts, and easy diets, people are concerned about living the good life – being healthy, living well into their senior years, and enjoying the fullness of life. There’s a market to exploit as much as it is an idea to achieve. Some of these products may not deliver.
And yet other practices, practices that are core to who we are as human beings, might be the key to becoming healthier as we age.
National Geographic Author Dan Buettner believes he has found insight by studying a handful of locations and communities around the world that he has dubbed Blue Zones, where life expectancy exceeds the average and people flourish.
His work has been expanded into a four part Netflix series.
During the month of June, we’ll explore some of the work Buettner has done and practice them together as a community.
We will pay attention to what scripture says about things like food, community, purpose, stress, and love. Believe it or not – as complicated as the stories from scripture are, the people of God have always known how to celebrate and value the gifts of the earth and the blessings of security and relationship. They have recognized marks of good living as a gift from God.
I will be setting up some optional opportunities for us to gather for food, learning, and self-care throughout. These may stretch you, but they could also be a lot of fun.
Even as we grieve, let’s use the month of June to care for each other and maybe invite other folks in our lives to experience these gifts.
–Rev. Nathan Hill